Prince Rostislav of Moscow wore a tunic with gold trim and exquisite embroidery on it, bearing the Rurik Trident. The fabric was very thick, but even so he added a cloak to make him look more majestic.
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Nobles and soldiers knelt down wherever the prince, who was surrounded by armored men, passed by. The prince's procession marched on the road paved with wooden planks to his tent.
Rostislav brought his main force: the Red City Army, the Moscow Militia and the Novgorod Militia. After the arrival of these three teams, it can be said that the Northern Army has roughly arrived, and the unprecedented large army in the North has arrived.
Assemble.
The sight of the Prince of Moscow swept between the densely packed tents spread across the ground. When the Prince completed his sweep, the soldiers bowed to him one after another, paying tribute to this invincible commander.
Rostislav saw many excited faces, mostly young people, who were excited to see the center of the song, and the appearance of the Prince of Moscow was indeed in line with what a ruler should look like and met all their expectations.
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But this put more pressure on Rostislav. On the surface, the prince looked so majestic and confident, but in his heart, he couldn't help but doubt whether he could command such a large army. The size of this army was unprecedented, which made him feel uncomfortable.
He couldn't help but feel a little scared.
Arriving at the center of the camp, in front of the largest and most gorgeous tent, Rurik's trident and the flag of St. George slaying the dragon were flying in front of this tent.
Next to these two flags is a square flag with the Virgin Mary on it, expressing Her Majesty's wishes to the army.
After handing over the horse to the long-awaited soldiers, the prince shook his cloak and entered the tent.
As soon as he entered it, Rostislav felt a wave of heat coming over him. Under the white dome, he saw that there were fully armed generals and nobles standing there. They came from all over Northern Rus to pay tribute to the prince.
The ruler of Moscow simply returned the greeting, then walked to the main seat and sat on the armchair, while the generals and nobles he brought also sat down.
After everyone arrived, Rostislav cleared his throat and drew everyone's attention to himself.
"Everyone, I am very happy to see you. You have practiced loyalty and stood with me and Moscow. Loyalty will be rewarded and you will never regret it. But I will say that much for the occasion.
Let's talk about the situation of the army, Leo, tell everyone how many people we have, and let everyone see our strength."
Following the prince's words, Leo, the old Greek bureaucrat who had always stood behind everyone, stood up.
Due to the importance of this civil war, Rostislav did not hesitate to put aside the government affairs in Moscow to ensure the organization of this army.
Facts have proved that Rostislav's decision is correct. Although these bureaucrats generally have no knowledge of military affairs, and some do not even understand Russian, they know how to organize, and the worst organization is better than no organization at all.
"My lords, I am happy to announce that when reinforcements from Bulgar and Norway arrive, our army can reach 23,000 to 24,000, and now King Harald of Norway has arrived in Iraq.
Vangorod, as for the Bulgar Khan, he is already close to Novgorod."
The Greek's words caused a commotion among the nobles wearing Moscow's fine armor and expensive furs.
Many people have never heard of such a large army. Even the army that conquered Polotsk did not reach this number.
Confidence surged uncontrollably in everyone's hearts. How could they fail with such a large army?
"In terms of food supply, you don't have to worry. The Smolensk area has already accumulated a large amount of food and grass in advance, and we also have river supplies. The supplies are enough for us to eat for half a year. With support, this war will definitely not be a problem."
These words dispelled everyone's last worries. The food brought by everyone was not much, and in the end they could only rely on the prince's food.
What they were worried about was the lack of food on the prince's hands. It would be ridiculous if this army collapsed due to lack of food.
"But everyone, don't relax because of this. Our enemy's strength is definitely in this number, and may even be more than ours. What we have to face next is a hard battle, a real hard battle, but in a hard battle
After that, everyone will receive rich rewards, and the supreme power of Ross will also come to fruition after this battle. Everyone, maybe the southern market that has been closed to you from now on will be opened as a result."
After the Greeks sat down, Rostislav went on to say that even if he was admonishing everyone to pay attention, he was also promising everyone rich rewards for victory.
There is an old Alemannic proverb - Jewels wield swords, and Rostislav has always taken this as his motto.
The nobles and chiefs here have actually taken a lot of money from him, but if they want to drive them to fight harder, further commitment is needed.
Rostislav had already sacrificed his treasury for this war, and he made this choice without hesitation, even if he was asked to be re-elected, he would do it.
"Of course, Lord Rostislav, we will all stand with you."
The first person to speak was Gavrila. The mayor of Novgorod took the lead in expressing his loyalty and then undoubtedly led everyone.
These Russian nobles and tribal chiefs rushed to express their loyalty to Rostislav, and some even openly called Rostislav the Grand Duke, but Rostislav just smiled with satisfaction, and now everyone called him the Prince.
In the eyes of most people here, there was no doubt that Rostislav would win; the Prince of Moscow had never failed.
Although Svyatoslav of the Southern Army had a record of defeating 3,000 and 12,000, he would never be able to fight against their prince! This is for sure! They would never fail!
Everyone in the Northern Army, from soldiers to nobles, had great confidence in Rostislav, but this confidence put more pressure on the prince, but he would not show it. This prince always appeared strong and confident in front of everyone.
It is the source of confidence for everyone.
"So Lord Rostislav, do we have any plans? Do you have any plans for a surprise attack? Or are you talking about unexpected reinforcements?"
Just as everyone was scrambling to express their loyalty, a voice broke the atmosphere like lightning piercing the night sky. Ivan of the Serikhov family asked.
As an old vassal of the prince and a powerful person in Yaroslavl, he was more concerned about the next battle plan.
Moreover, he also had some selfish motives for asking this matter, because if possible, he wanted to take care of his descendants during the war and put them in a position where they could easily gain glory.
Everyone's attention was attracted, and everyone waited silently for the prince's answer. They all wanted to know Rostislav's arrangements.
"Lord Ivan, there are no arrangements or plans. This battle does not allow for any whimsical ideas. Only Smolensk can allow such large-scale armies from the north and the south to move freely, and only here can there be so many things that can be easily launched.
Battlefield. Gentlemen, I tell you clearly here, this is a fight in Smolensk, sword against sword, arrow against arrow."
The prince's words broke some people's illusions that he had some arrangements. After all, Rostislav had a great record, and many people were wondering if he had any wonderful arrangements.
But everyone has nothing to be afraid of. If the battle is not about fighting to the death on the battlefield, is it still a battle? With such money from the prince and future glory, shouldn’t we just fight hard on the battlefield?
"In this case, my family will fight to the death for you, just like our oath."
Old Ivan was not shaken by these words, but continued to speak firmly to Rostislav.
But he was a little frustrated in his heart. It seemed that it was really a mistake to bring his grandson here this time, but since he has come, let him go to fight on the battlefield. Only the crown that has passed the test of blood and fire can be truly real.